by Missy Votel

Cyclists who missed the boat for this year’s Iron Horse now have a second chance at riding, and in the process can offer a second chance to local cancer victims.

The Livestrong Foundation has teamed up with the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic to sponsor the 25-mile Quarter Horse to Purgatory as well as 150 spots in the Citizens Tour to Silverton. In exchange for the entrance, “Team Livestrong” riders will be tasked with raising $400 for the Livestrong Foundation, with half of proceeds staying in the Four Corners. The partnership will make Durango one of only 26 cities across the country to host an official Team Livestrong event.

“We have come to learn how special Durango is and what a community minded place it is,” said Dennis Cavner, a member and former chairman of the Livestrong Foundation Board of Directors.

Cavner, who splits his time between living in Durango and Foundation headquarters in Austin, Texas, said 50 percent of proceeds raised by Team Livestrong members for the Iron Horse will stay local. The money will go into a fund overseen by the Community Foundation and be earmarked for people in the Four Corners in need of cancer treatments.

Iron Horse founder Ed Zink said he is pleased to expand the partnership with Team Livestrong, which over the past several years has raised funds for the Mercy Regional Breast Care Center. “When we began our relationship with the Foundation several years ago, our goal was to tap into the strong mission of their organization, and we have been able to do that in significant ways,” said Zink.

Despite the resignation of its beleaguered founder, Lance Armstrong, the Livestrong Foundation is stronger now than ever, said Cavner.

In fact, any time there is negative news about Armstrong, donations to the Foundation do the inverse. “Our grassroots supporters were the first ones to say ‘We’re not going anywhere. Livestrong has done so much for us,” Brian Myers, Livestrong’s Grassroots Ambassador said of the fall-out from the Armstrong doping scandal. “These are amazing individuals. They don’t have to do anything, but they choose to.”

Nevertheless, the parting of ways has been difficult and emotional, particularly for Cavner, who has been with the organization for 10 years. “It’s complex,” he said. “We will always be very disappointed.”

Cavner said despite the allegations over the years, he and others tried to think the best of Armstrong. The stripping of his seven Tour de France titles as well as subsequent confession came as an unwelcome surprise. “We certainly didn’t have any idea,” he said of the day last October when Armstrong came to the Board and stepped down. “I guess there was always the possibility the allegations were true, but I believed he was telling the truth, just like everyone else.”

However, those left to carry on the Livestrong mission will always appreciate what Armstrong accomplished, Cavner said. “For starting the Foundation, we will always we grateful,” he said.

Armstrong founded Livestrong in 1997 after overcoming testicular cancer that at one point had spread to his lungs and liver. “He really thought his cycling career was over,” said Cavner of Armstrong, who was 25 when he was diagnosed. Once recovered, Armstrong took his message of hope and perseverance to cancer survivors across the country, often delivering it in person. “He would talk to people one on one. I saw it happen over and over again. He started something really powerful with this organization,” said Cavner.

Aside from the iconic yellow bracelets, which became ubiquitous over the last decade, Livestrong has grown to become an international presence, touting more than $100 million in assets. Since 1997, it has raised $500 million and helped an estimated 2.5 million people worldwide. In 2009, the Foundation convened the first-ever Livestrong World Cancer Summit in Dublin, drawing some 500 participants from 65 countries. The purpose was to advance the global fight against cancer and further the United Nations’ recognition of the disease, which affects some 28 million people worldwide at an estimated cost of $305 billion annually.

The Foundation has also launched anti-stigma campaigns in Africa, where cancer is seen as taboo or shameful, and rolled out awareness campaigns in poorer countries, such as Mexico. “Our goal is early detection and getting treatment to people who need it. A third of people who die from cancer die needlessly,” said Cavner. “Cancer should not be a death sentence. Poverty should not be a death sentence.”

In the United States, the focus is also on serving underserved populations, such as that in the Four Corners, where access to screenings and treatment can be hours away for remote residents. This only underscores the importance of the partnership with the Iron Horse, Cavner said. “It is my personal goal to generate $100,000 for the Four Corners fund every year,” said Cavner, adding that the event will become an annual one. “We’re in it for the long haul.”

As of press time, there were still 90 Team Livestrong spots available for the Citizens Tour, with registration for the Quarter Horse unlimited. Cavner said the focus is on promoting the Quarter Horse because of its more user-friendly format. “Riding to Silverton is hard, I should know, I’ve done it three times,” said Cavner. “We’re really trying to encourage the Quarter Horse because it’s more attainable. We want to get people affected by cancer out there riding, from survivors to their families and friends.”

Really, the whole point is to bring together people affected by the disease let them know they are not alone. In fact, 40 percent of women and 50 percent of men will have cancer in their lives, said Cavner, whose own parents both died from the disease.

“We’re trying to build something here that will build this community,” he said.

And lest there are any lingering doubts that Livestrong has lost any of its momentum, Cavner quickly put those to rest. “It is going to survive and thrive, I am very optimistic about that,” he said. “It has to. There are way too many people who need our help.”

To sign up for the Team Livestrong Quarter Horse or Iron Horse, go to www.livestrong.org/take-action/team-livestrong-events/ride